Queen of Angels Catholic School

Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, 1600 West State Boulevard; preschool through eighth grade; the Royals; opened September 21, 1951, and marking its seventy fifth anniversary in 2026

An Overflow Parish: On July 4, 1947, Bishop John F. Noll announced that he had directed Father William Faber to establish a new parish on State Street, for the overflow crowd at Most Precious Blood, the older parish to the south. The parish is a foundation of 1947; its school came four years later, and the two dates are kept apart here, as this section keeps them for every parish school. Ground for the buildings was broken on May 22, 1950, and construction was delayed by the severe snowstorms that ran from November 1950 into March 1951.

September 21, 1951: The school opened on September 21, 1951, staffed by the Precious Blood Sisters, with Sister Mary Sienna Langhois as its first principal and eighty three students in two classrooms serving four grades, as the parish history tells it. The first Mass in the new church, a wedding Mass, followed on October 6, 1951. One figure in the record will not settle: the principal who marked the school's seventy fifth anniversary in 2026 gave the opening enrollment as eighty five students, against the parish history's eighty three. Both figures are printed; the sources consulted do not reconcile them. Sister Matilda Boyert became principal in 1956, and a seven room addition was constructed in 1957, the first of the school's growth around its original classrooms.

The Faber Center: The founding pastor's name stayed on the campus: the Msgr. Faber Center was constructed in 1998, nearly fifty years after Faber broke ground. Father Ajay Tiru became the parish's ninth pastor in July 2014. The parish office stands at 1500 West State Boulevard and the school at 1600, teaching preschool through eighth grade, with kindergarten entry for children who are five by August 1, as the school's own site states. The school's mission, carried at the head of its own newsletter, states its purpose in one sentence: "Guiding students, as Catholic children of Mary, to be Eucharistic Disciples of Christ through Faith, Knowledge, and Service."

The Royals, and a Georgia Guardian: The school's teams are the Royals. Its newsletter is the Royal Review, and its autumn fundraiser run is the Royals Run, as the issue of September 5, 2025 records; the parents' association, HASA, set that season's fundraiser goal at seven thousand dollars. The school fields Catholic Youth Organization teams, soccer among them from late March under athletics director Alex Cruz, as the February 2026 newsletter records, and its cheerleaders joined the combined Central Catholic squads the diocesan newspaper described in February 2015, with Beth Peters among the school's coaches named. A caution belongs in this record. An annual report circulating under this school's exact name, for the 2013 to 2014 school year, introduces "a new school mascot, The Guardian"; that report's endowment sits with the Catholic Foundation of North Georgia, and the school it describes is Queen of Angels of Roswell, Georgia. The Guardian is not this school's mascot, and nothing from that report is used here.

Today: Dennis G. Wiegmann signed the Royal Review as principal through the 2025 to 2026 school year; in the issue of February 27, 2026, he congratulated Ashley Wetzel, named the school's new principal for 2026 to 2027, and Wetzel signs the newsletter as principal from August 2026. The anniversary year opened with an all school Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades on August 25, 2026, and the school's newsletter dates its official seventy fifth anniversary celebration to Tuesday, September 15, 2026. The federal private school survey counts one hundred fifty seven students. The commercial directories count one hundred eighty one on MDR Education data and name a head of school, Michelle Brandle, whom no school, parish or diocesan source consulted carries; the commercial figures are not used, and the name is recorded as rejected on the rule this section follows for stale listings.

Sources:

1. Today's Catholic, September 14, 2017: the parish history account; Bishop John F. Noll's announcement of July 4, 1947 directing Father William Faber to found the parish for the overflow at Most Precious Blood; the groundbreaking of May 22, 1950 and the snowstorm delays of November 1950 to March 1951; the school's opening on September 21, 1951, staffed by Precious Blood Sisters, Sister Mary Sienna Langhois first principal, 83 students in two classrooms serving four grades; the first Mass, a wedding Mass, on October 6, 1951; Sister Matilda Boyert principal in 1956; the seven room addition of 1957; the Msgr. Faber Center constructed in 1998; Father Ajay Tiru the ninth pastor from July 2014.
2. Queen of Angels School, the Royal Review (the school's own newsletter): September 5, 2025 (the Royals Run; the HASA fundraiser goal of $7,000; Dennis Wiegmann, Principal); February 20, 2026 (the soccer season from late March and athletics director Alex Cruz); February 13, 2026 (the school "will officially celebrate its 75 Anniversary on Tuesday, September 15, 2026," with Bishop Rhoades's anniversary Mass on August 25); February 27, 2026 (Ashley Wetzel named the new principal for the 2026-27 school year); August 14, 2026 (Ashley Wetzel, Principal; the all school Mass with Bishop Rhoades on August 25, 2026 opening the 75th anniversary; the school mission statement).
3. Queen of Angels Catholic School, the school's own site (school.queenofangelsfw.org): 1600 West State Boulevard, Fort Wayne, IN 46808, phone 260-483-8214, kindergarten through eighth grade; kindergarten entry for children five by August 1.
4. Today's Catholic, February 4, 2015: the combined Central Catholic cheerleading squads, with Beth Peters among the Queen of Angels coaches named.
5. National Center for Education Statistics, as republished by Private School Review: 157 students, preschool through eighth grade.
6. This history's published group entry, The Catholic Grade Schools of Fort Wayne and Allen County: the opening enrollment given as 85 students by the principal marking the 75th anniversary in 2026, against the parish history's 83.
7. Annual Report, Queen of Angels Catholic School, 2013-2014 (endowment with the Catholic Foundation of North Georgia), consulted to keep the Roswell, Georgia school's record, including its Guardian mascot, out of this school's.
8. homes.com listing for Queen of Angels Catholic School (181 students and head of school Michelle Brandle, on MDR Education data), consulted and rejected as commercial data with no school source behind the name.